The 1962 U.S. stock-market decline was nicknamed the Kennedy Slide.
The Kennedy Slide ran from December 1961 to June 1962 and was the sharpest U.S. market decline since the 1929 crash at that time. The S&P 500 fell about 26.5% from its peak to its low, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped substantially as investors worried about economic growth, corporate profits, and government policy.
President John F. Kennedy's administration was involved in a confrontation with the steel industry after major companies announced price increases in April 1962. The administration publicly opposed the increases, and the dispute added to investor uncertainty, although the decline had broader causes and was not simply created by the steel episode.
The crash ended after the market reached a low on June 26, 1962. It is often remembered alongside the 1929 and 1987 crashes, but its scale and economic consequences were different. The name identifies the political period associated with it rather than a single one-day collapse.